Electrical plug receptacle or socket



April 19, 1955 s. M. TEMPLETON ELECTRICAL PLUG RECEPTACLE 0R SOCKET Filed Dec. 15, 1352 INVENTOR Samuel/M]; m vzei' 0 n III 4"..-- 7..

TTORNE Y United States Patent ELECTRICAL PLUG RECEPTACLE 0R SOCKET Samuel M. Templeton, Roanoke, Va.

Application December 15, 1952, Serial No. 325,925

8 Claims. (Cl. 339-191) This invention relates to a novel electrical receptacle or socket structure for use in making a connection with the prongs of an electric plug and comprising novel plug prong receiving units for more effectively forming an electrical contact between a plug and receptacle or socket and which additionally affords adequate current carrylng capacities for the plug engaging elements of the socket.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electric plug prong engaging receptacle or socket element to facilitate a smooth easy movement of a pair of plug prongs into engagement with an electric socket or receptacle and ease of movement in detachment of the plug from the socket or receptacle, and wherein the plug prongs are frictionally gripped by yielding pressure between electrical conductor portions for effectively maintaining the plug in engagement with the receptacle or socket with the plug prongs in electrical contact with the prong receiving elements of the socket or receptacle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide socket or receptacle elements for receiving plug prongs and which will permit smooth insertion or removal of the plug prongs relatively to the socket or receptacle at an angle to a normal straight line movement of the prongs into and out of engagement with the receptacle or socket.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from "the following description of the drawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a single socket or receptacle looking toward the plug prong receiving outer end or side thereof;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing a conventional plug attached to the socket;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of one of the plug prong receiving receptacle elements in its normal position when not engaging a plug prong;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank forming the conductor portion of the prong receiving element, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a slightly modified form of the invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, a conventional single electric socket or receptacle is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and is designated generally 8. The receptacle or socket 8 may be of any suitable construction and formed of an electrical insulating material and preferably includes a detachable bottom wall 9 which is held in an applied position by a fastening 10. The socket or receptacle 8 has a fixed center partition 11 of electrical insulating material forming two chambers or pockets 12. A top or outer wall 13 of the socket 8 is provided with a pair of spaced plug prong receiving slots 14 which are spaced apart to communicate with the two chambers or pockets 12.

Each of the chambers or pockets 12 contains a unique plug prong receiving unit, designated generally 15 and comprising the invention. Each plug prong receiving unit 15 includes a strip of metal 16 constituting a good conductor of electricity and which is relatively resilient. The strip 16 is bent along a plurality of transverse lines 17, as illustrated in Figure 5, into a substantially U-shaped construction, as best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The outer leg 18 of said U-shaped member 19 which is formed from the strip 16 includes an inner ply 20 formed by an inwardly turned back extension of said leg 18. The inner ply or leg portion 20 has an extension 21 at its lower end disposed against and extending partially across an intermediate part 22 of said U-shaped member 19. One end of the strip 16 forms the other, inner leg 23 of the U-shaped member 19 and the other end portion of the strip 16 constitutes a plate 24 forming an extension of the part 21 and which plate extends upwardly from the inner end of said part 21 and from intermediate of the legs 18 and 23 at an incline toward said inner leg 23. The upper terminal portion of the plate 24, designated 25, defines a lip which is flared away from said inner leg 23. The plate 24 is cut to form a tongue or blade 26 which is secured to the plate 24 at its upper end and which is normally disposed between the plate 24 and inner leg 23 and substantially parallel to said inner leg and at an angle to the plane of the plate 24. In the embodiment as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, a block of resilient material 27, such as sponge rubber, is contained in the U-shaped member 19 between the inner ply 20 of the leg 18 and the plate 24. A portion of the block 27 extends through an opening 28 of the plate 24, formed by the tongue 26 which is struck therefrom, and said portion bears against the inner side of the tongue 26 to urge it toward the inner leg 23 while a surrounding portion of the block 27 bears against the inner side of the plate 24 for yieldably urging it toward the leg 23.

The plug prong receiving units 15 are disposed in the chambers or pockets 12 with the inner legs 23 thereof bearing against the opposite sides of the partition 11 so that the narrow plug receiving spaces 29 between the inner legs 23 and the tongues 26 or plates 24 will be disposed substantially in alignment with the prong receiving slots 14, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Conductor lead wires, not shown, may be attached in any conventional manner to any suitable part of the strips 16.

A conventional electric plug 30 is illustrated in Figure 2 having conventional parallel prongs 31 which are spaced apart a proper distance to enter the socket 8 through the slots 14. The thickness of the plug prongs 31 is greater than the normal spacing between the inner legs 23 and the tongues 26 or the upper portions of the plates 24 from which said tongues project. As the plug prongs 31 enter the socket 8 through the slots 14 said prongs will be guided by the flared upper ends 32 and 25 of the inner legs 23 and plates 25, respectively, into the upper ends of the restricted prong receiving spaces 29 so that the prongs 31 will initially displace the upper portions of the plates 24 away from the upper ends of the inner legs 23 and will thereafter swing the tongues 26 toward the plate openings 28 and away from the inner legs 23 to accommodate the prongs 31 in the thus enlarged spaces 29. The blocks 27 will be thus compressed to increase the resiliency thereof and so that said blocks will urge the plates 24 and tongues 26 individually toward the inner legs 23 so that the prongs 31 will be frictionally gripped between said legs 23 and the tongues 26 and portions of the plates 24. Thus, the plug prongs will be frictionally held in the socket 8 and in electrical contact with substantial portions of the parts 23, 24 and 26 to thus assure a good electrical connection between the plug and socket.

It will also be apparent that the units 15 will enable the plug prongs 31 to move smoothly into and out of engagement with the socket 8 without any appreciable binding action during any phase of the connection of the plug to or the disconnection thereof from the socket.

The slots 14 are of a length substantially greater than the width of the prongs 31 so that the prongs may be inserted at an angle into the socket or removed at an angle therefrom and since the tongues 26 are disposed between the plates 24 and legs 23 no additional binding engagement will thus result and there will be no risk of the prongs becoming caught on any part of the strips 16 Obviously, the units 15 may be utilized in multiple type sockets or receptacles and will efficiently function in the same manner as previously described.

Figure 6 illustrates a slightly modified form of the unit 15 and which is designated generally 15a. The unit 15a includes a U-shaped member 19 corresponding with the U-shaped member 19 of the unit 15 and formed from the strip 16. However, in lieu of the resilient block 27, the unit 15a is provided with an expansion coil spring 33 one end of which bears against the inner ply 20 and may be suitably secured thereto, as indicated at 34. The spring 33 has one or more coils 35 at its opposite end of reduced diameter which extend loosely through the opening 28 and the terminal one of which bears against the inner side of the tongue 26. A large coil 36 of the spring 33, from which the restricted coil or coil 35 extends, which is of a diameter greater than the width of the opening 28, may have bearing engagement against the inner side of the plate 24 so that portions of the spring 33 will urge the plate 24 and the tongue 26 individually toward the inner leg 23. Thus, the spring 33 will function in the same manner and for the same purpose as the resilient block 27 and a further description thereof is considered unnecessary.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electric socket or receptacle comprising a socket casing of electrical insulating material having a pair of spaced pockets, said casing including an outer wall having prong receiving slots opening into said pockets, a plug prong receiving unit disposed in each of said pockets, each of said units including a strip of electrical conducting material defining a substantially U-shaped member including an inner leg, an outer leg and an intermediate portion extending between and connecting corresponding ends of said legs, said inner leg constituting one end of the strip, the other end of said strip constituting a partition plate, said plate extending from an inner side of said intermediate portion and from intermediate of said legs at an incline toward the free end of said inner leg and toward the prong receiving slot of said pocket, said plate having a struck out tongue connected thereto adjacent the outer free end of said plate and normally disposed between a portion of the plate and said inner leg and substantially parallel to and spaced slightly from the inner leg, said tongue being yieldable with the plate away from said inner leg and being yieldably movably relatively to the plate away from the inner leg, said tongue combining with the inner leg to define an expansible plug prong receiving space and being adapted to be yieldably displaced by a plug prong away from the inner leg whereby the plug prong is frictionally gripped between said tongue and inner leg and detachably retained in engagement and in electrical contact with the end portions of the conductor strip.

2. An electric socket as in claim 1, and resilient means bearing against and biasing said tongue toward the inner leg.

3. An electric socket as in claim 2, said resilient means comprising a block of compressible resilient material disposed between said outer leg and plate and having a portion bearing against said tongue for biasing the tongue and plate individually toward said inner leg.

4. An electric socket as in claim 1, and resilient means bearing against and biasing said tongue toward the inner leg, said means comprising an expansion coil spring having one end bearing against said outer leg and an opposite end bearing against the tongue for biasing said tongue toward the inner leg.

5. An electric socket as in claim 4, and an intermediate portion of said coil spring bearing against and biasing the plate toward said inner leg.

6. An electric socket as in claim 1, said inner leg and plate having oppositely flared distal ends defining a flared plug prong receiving entrance mouth.

7. The combination with a receptacle or socket casing formed of electrical insulating material having at least one chamber formed therein and having a wall provided with a prong receiving opening, of a prong receiving unit disposed in said chamber comprising a relatively resilient strip of electrical conducting material having one end portion thereof forming a prong engaging wall and another end portion thereof forming a plate, said prong engaging wall having a distal end disposed adjacent the prong receiving opening, said plate including a secured end and a free end and being disposed to extend at an angle toward said distal end of the wall from its secured end to its free end, a tongue struck from said plate and connected thereto only adjacent the free end of the plate and normally disposed adjacent and substantially parallel to the wall and combining therewith to define a restricted space adapted to receive therebetween a prong of a male electrical connection which extends through said casing opening, and resilient means biasing said tongue toward the wall whereby the prong is frictionally gripped betweenthe wall and tongue.

8. The combination with a receptacle or socket casing formed of electrical insulating material having at least i one chamber formed therein and having a part provided with a prong receiving opening, of a prong receiving unit disposed in said chamber comprising a relatively resilient strip of electrical conducting material and of substantially U-shaped form, said strip including an end portion forming a plate extending from an intermediate portion of the U-shaped strip at an angle toward a wall of the chamber and toward the prong receiving opening and having a free end disposed adjacent said opening and chamber wall, 'a tongue struck from said plate and connected thereto only adjacent the free end of the plate and normally disposed adjacent and substantially parallel to the chamber wall and combining with the chamber wall to define a restricted space adapted to receive therebetween a prong of a male electrical connection which extends through said prong receiving opening, and resilient means disposed within said U-shaped prong receiving unit and bearing against and biasing said tongue toward said chamber wall whereby the prong is frictionally gripped between the wall and tongue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,747,896 Gates Feb. 18, 1930 1,841,736 Jones Jan. 19, 1932 2,502,634 Smith Apr. 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 375,922 Great Britain July 7, 1932 

